Assembling and Testing the Cyborg Beast 3D Printed Prosthesis

One of the most exciting things going on in 3D printing these days is what’s happening with 3D printed prosthetics. In particular, the e-Nable community, a group of 500 people and growing, is working to continually evolve the available options for low-cost 3D printed prosthetics. These talented folks from around the globe are creating designs that anyone can produce and assemble, wherever needed.

As a demonstration of that, here’s a video of me assembling one for the first time. I have no background in prosthetics or mechanical engineering, so if I can do this, anyone can. Of course, a prosthetist or other medical professional should always be involved when doing one of these for real, in order to ensure proper fit, check periodically for irritation, etc.

A big thanks to the great work of those who contributed to the Cyborg Beast prosthesis, including Jorge Zuniga, Frankie Flood, Ivan Owen, David Orgeman, and others in the e-Nable community.

I do print the palm with support, but you may be able to get away with no support. If you print with support, it can be tricky to get the support material out of the cable channels. I use Simplify3D, which allows me to place supports under the palm but keep the cable channels clear of supports.